Cool Ranch Doritos remind me of those days I’d peer into the bag, desperate to find the chip with thickest layer of spices. It was a game with a sensationally savory reward. Little did I know the nature of the gift – or so I thought it was – that I was really giving my body.

One serving, or 12 chips, of Cool Ranch Doritos contains 150 calories, nearly half –8 grams – which come from fat. It also has 180 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, and only 2 grams of dietary fiber.

The bottom line is that with ingredients such as sodium acetate, artificial color, sodium, caseinate, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and maltodextrin, not only are you stuffing yourself with 16 grams of empty carbs but also you are ingesting a lot of nothing “real.” Some of these synthetic ingredients are just downright dangerous. Doritos contain MSG, which is a flavor enhancer that can trigger headaches, sweating, facial pressure or tightness, a rapid or fluttering heartbeat, chest pain, nausea, and weakness.

The following recipe starts from scratch, using simple ingredients that pack a serious flavor punch. With the right combination of spices and a few minutes to spare, you’ve got yourself a bottomless bowl of your favorite chips. Enjoy!

Homemade Spicy Cool-Ranch Doritos

Servings vary

Ingredients:

1 large potato or 2 small potatoes (white or sweet)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Slice the potatoes into thin strips, just thick enough so they are not transparent.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the spices and mix.

Add the sliced potatoes to the spice bowl and toss until all sides of each potato slice are evenly covered.

On a greased baking sheet place potato slices side by side, each with its own place so that they bake evenly and to a crisp. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and place in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 40 minutes or until the potatoes have crisped, but not burned.

Enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

Just did this exactly as written above. At 30 minutes I checked on them, they were all burned to a crisp 🙁 Doing it again and going to check at 20 minutes…. Also, they were WAAAAYY too spicy so I’m taking the cayenne out as well.